Chicago family awarded record $12.2M verdict in nursing home death case

Chicago family awarded state's largest-ever verdict in nursing home death

Attorney Margaret Battersby Black from Levin & Perconti talks about how they secured $12.2 million for a family of a Chicago woman who died after what jurors found was negligent care at a North Side nursing home.

CHICAGO - A Cook County jury has awarded $12.2 million to the family of a Chicago woman who died after what jurors found was negligent care at a North Side nursing home.

What we know:

Attorneys from the Chicago law firm Levin & Perconti represented the family of 79-year-old Shirley Adams, who died in February 2023 from complications related to pressure wounds that became infected.

Last Friday, following a three-day trial, the jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before ruling against Lakeview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, LLC, and its management company, Infinity Healthcare Management of Illinois, LLC.

The family alleged that the facility’s understaffing and poor oversight caused Adams to develop pressure wounds that went untreated, leading to multiple surgeries, serious infections, and her eventual death.

"[She] suffered through extensive and painful treatments for the last 16 months of her life because of inexcusable, basically non-existent, nursing care," said plaintiff attorney Paul Connery. "The jury’s verdict recognized the pain that she and her family endured. This decision moves the Adams family one step closer to healing."

According to Levin & Perconti, the $12.2 million award marks the largest nursing home verdict in Illinois history.

The backstory:

Attorneys said Adams, who lived on Chicago’s West Side, entered Lakeview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in June 2021. Though she had early-stage dementia, her family said she was in good physical health.

Not long after she was admitted, her family noticed her health declining rapidly, including her use of a wheelchair during visits. They say she became effectively bedridden, and pressure wounds developed within three months.

By November 2021, the family moved her to another nursing facility, where she received better care but never fully recovered from her wounds. She underwent more than 20 surgical procedures and daily treatments before dying in February 2023.

"This is another example of nursing home operators and owners putting profits over people and not providing the level of care that is required. This was a preventable tragedy," said plaintiff attorney Steve Levin. "The Adams family received justice and accountability. But it will not bring their mother back nor make up for the suffering she endured."